I was really excited getting these and desperately needed a pair. They don't have a lot of "give" in the ankle (for example, if you wanted to practice squats outside, which I do) then look elsewhere. They are stiff and heavy and clunky so I feel like you need to be pretty strong to wear these; just walking, your legs might get tired after some time. But they are WARM, which I loved, and you will instantly feel. I got them for the warmth and the tread seemed good, so I decided they were going to be for shoveling snow and breif wearing periods. And just for anyone wondering, my first time out wearing them was in rain. I noticed that when it was lightly raining, not walking through puddles, somehow my left sock became wet. It was on the foot just below the ankle. The gently falling rain must have permeated it. My right foot was fine, so I think it may be a flaw or stitching issue, but it may be worth considering if you are buying them for the "waterproof" aspects.
Now, to why I'm writing this … and I've never reviewed shoes, ever, but this feels deeply important to me to share. My issue has to do with tread. Just for background, I have never (now being middle aged), ever had a fall like this. I also practice yoga and gi-gong, go to a chiropractor regularly for checkups, and don't have movement issues. As it went -- I had only been out in these boots a few times, and this was the first time they had been in use after a freeze. I slipped into them at the door, headed out to do some stray animal feeding, and was not running. I was one step down from the top of the porch (city concrete steps of a normal home) and I slid. I landed at the bottom of these steps, having had zero control, which is immensely scary. It was seconds, and on the land, I was flat on my back with 3 steps traveling up my spine, with one under my neck. The fact that I even got up baffled me. I could have easily been paralyzed, unsure why I wasn't. It might have been luck, or my flexibility, but I'd certainly never want to do it again, and I'm not sure how anyone else would fare, so I feel a call to say something. Directly following, I had felt CERTAIN that there had been ice there, as that's how my foot felt at the beginning, before the fall. But stunned on getting up, plus adrenaline, I didn't look well and just tried to safely get back in. Back in the house, I yelled for help and for someone to go get salt for the steps (desperately afraid of someone else getting hurt) but when someone went out, they came back in, confused, saying "How did you fall? There's hardly any ice, just some at the bottom, and a few tiny spots on the stairs." I realized it was the boots. If I couldn't walk over a stretch of ice an inch wide in them without falling, my personal feeling is they are dangerous. In context, I've been taking those stairs day-in-and-out over a decade, never fallen, and am in better shape than I used to be. ANYONE who wishes to hike in these boots or do anything, even just walking, please be careful with heights, stairs, and ice. You only get one body, and these boots may work fine for you, but them being marketed as hiking boots worries me, and I needed to say something. I got rid of them as I am unwilling to risk my life. Take care.
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